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The Cascade: The Great Falls Group Newsletter Fall 2012
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 Calendar |
Upcoming Programs--Everyone Welcome!
September 27: Activist Night, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., Organizing for America Field Office, Falls Church (new location)
September 1--October 31: Virginia Waterways Cleanup Event
October 23: Activist Night, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Oakton Library, Oakton
More info.
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Enter the Northern Virginia Home Energy Makeover Contest!
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The Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) is making its debut in Northern Virginia with a home energy makeover contest. LEAP has successfully promoted home energy efficiency in the Charlottesville area since 2009.
To enter the contest, you'll be asked to take a short survey (less than 5 minutes) that gives you a free assessment of your home's potential to save energy. Each week there's a drawing for a free energy audit. On September 30th, there'll be a drawing for three cash prizes worth $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000 towards your home energy improvements. By signing up, you'll not only take action to save on your energy bills, but also help Sierra Club win a $1,500 cash award when you enter HEMC SIERRA as the nonprofit of your choice. So go to the Home Energy Makeover Contest website, take the quick energy survey, and sign up for the contest. The deadline is September 30.
LEAP is a nonprofit organization that coordinates energy efficiency improvements on homes. To learn more, visit the LEAP website.
By Rekha Nadkarni Back to Top |
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Energy Efficiency and Energy Action Fairfax
|  Improving your home's energy efficiency is the best way to reduce your carbon footprint. To help, Fairfax County's Residential Energy Education and Outreach Program, Energy Action Fairfax (EAF), was launched in the spring of 2012. EAF reached out to homeowners in seven pilot communities: Greater Tyson's Green Civic Association (CA), Greater Wilton Woods CA, Jefferson Manor CA, Lake Barcroft Community Association, McLean Citizens Association, Pinecrest Community Association, and Reston Association. Funded by a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program runs through the end of September. The program aims to educate homeowners on how much comfort and energy can be lost through outdated construction or poor insulation and how to find solutions for their own homes. In addition to the benefit to individual homeowners, the region benefits from reduced energy use and pollution. Each pilot community could choose up to 3 events that could include a mix of three types of meetings: (1) an introductory workshop, (2) a home energy audit party where a homeowner shares the results of his or her free home energy audit with 10-15 neighbors and friends, and (3) a DIY party. The focus was to encourage homeowners to "step up" to energy savings by improving their home's energy efficiency. Contractor Golin-Harris created the materials and helped publicize and coordinate events. Experts, including home energy contractors, gave presentations. At each event, attendees received a kit with simple energy saving items such as a CFL bulbs, socket sealants, and weatherizing tape. Per reports from Sierra Club members who attended some of the McLean and Reston events, the presentations were excellent. The home audit parties generated the most interest. Attendees could relate potential problems in their own homes to information given in the walk-through in an informal setting of a neighbor's home. An audit party in Reston resulted in one more home audit, and we expect more homeowners to step up to make their homes more energy efficient. Learn more on the Energy Action Fairfax website. (Steve Bruckner, Linda Burchfiel, Rekha Nadkarni, and Linda Stevens contributed to this report.) Back to Top |
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Is Coal Powering Your Home?
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 Dominion Power is the largest electricity supplier in Virginia. Most likely Dominion provides electricity to your home. So where does our electricity come from? Much of Virginia's electricity comes from burning coal. According to the Dominion website, "our fossil-fueled power stations primarily use coal to generate power provided to customers." This Dominion site shows that it doesn't generate any electricity in Virginia from wind or solar sources.
Dominion Green Power Program
You may have received a flyer with your Dominion electric bill asking you to support its Green Power Program. By enrolling, customers pay extra money each month so that Dominion can buy RECs (Renewable Energy Credits) from other companies. Each REC represents a certain amount of renewable energy placed on the power grid. However, less than a quarter of the renewable energy for the program came from Virginia in 2011.* In spite of the picture of a windmill on the Dominion Green Energy flyer, what little Virginia renewable energy it purchases comes mostly from burning landfill gas and wood--hardly clean energy.
Virginia Loses with Dominion's Energy Practices
Dominion's dirty fuels produce mercury, smog, and soot pollution, and Virginia ranks sixth in the nation for health impacts from coal plants. These health impacts include increased asthma attacks, developmental disabilities in children, and heart attacks.
While Dominion was awarded $76 million in 2011 for meeting Virginia's voluntary renewable energy goal, this renewable energy came from out-of-state, pre-WWII dams, and trash- and wood-burning facilities. Dominion's customers pay for this reward.
In the past 5 years, wind energy has increased by 347% across the U.S., employing 75,000 Americans. Solar energy has increased by 547%, employing 100,000 Americans. Dominion hasn't developed any wind or solar power in Virginia, so our state is losing out on these job opportunities. If Dominion developed offshore wind, Virginia could add up to 10,000 good-paying, career-length jobs. Solar energy generation could also bring thousands of jobs to Virginia.
Let Dominion know that Virginia deserves better. We deserve Virginia-made clean, renewable energy, clean air, and jobs for Virginians. Tell Dominion CEO, Thomas Farrell, to stop holding us back and develop Virginia-made clean energy now. Sign the petition.
Help us get the word out so more people can ask for clean energy. Work with one of our seasoned volunteers to collect signatures at a local farmers market. Contact Linda Burchfiel, and let her know which market is closest and which Saturday in October is most convenient.
* Chesapeake Climate Action Network
by Linda Brown
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Great Falls Group Election
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Members of the Great Falls Group are eligible to vote in the annual election to select members of the group's executive committee. Learn more on the Great Falls Group website. Voting deadline is December 31, 2012. Back to Top
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September Activist Night: Hitting the Streets
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 Come to one of our Activist Nights! We have been focusing on the Customer Campaign for Dominion (see article above by Linda Brown) as part of our multi-pronged approach to bring clean energy and jobs to Virginia.
At our last Activist Night at Oakton Library on August 30, 16 people socialized over pizza and drinks, then settled down to learn about the campaign. They wanted to get familiar with the campaign, ask questions, and share information so they could help us reach beyond the usual "enviro" crowd and educate the general public.
These 16 people are learning to be activists who can spread the word by writing Letters to the Editor or (briefly) educating folks and collecting petition signatures at a farmers market or fair. Great Falls Group activists collected hundreds of signatures at the Vienna, Reston, and Oakton farmers markets, and intern Chelsey Firor is looking for new and seasoned activists for farmers markets in October. For details, contact Chelsey Firor. Poll after poll shows that the majority of Virginians support wind and solar energy and the jobs they bring, but until those Virginians sign a petition or make a phone call or send an email to their elected official, their support has little impact.
The Next Activist Night
Our next Activist Night will be Thursday, September 27 from 6:00-9:00 at Organizing for America (OFA) Field Office, 7285 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, VA 22042 (in the right rear corner of Loehmann's Plaza by the theater). [This is a location change.]
Please RSVP to Linda Burchfiel so we can get enough food. Our goal will be to encourage undecided voters, or the "persuadables," to vote for environmental candidates.
As always, we'll have pizza, drinks, and committed people who want to help the environment.
by Linda Burchfiel
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Great Falls Group is on Facebook
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Like us on Facebook--Sierra Club Great Falls Group Page
http://www.facebook.com/GreatFallsVaSierraClubChapter We are looking for a lead Facebook Administrator. If you have a passion for the environment, time to volunteer, creative writing skills, and a Facebook account, you may be the person we are looking for to join our Facebook Team! You will not be alone--we are a TEAM and will all work together to manage the Great Falls Group Facebook page. If you'd like to help, contact Susan Bonney.
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Volunteers Needed!
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Volunteers are needed to help bring wind and solar energy to Virginia! Be part of our Customer Campaign to collect signatures at the Oakton Farmers Market on September 29, anytime between 10 am and 2 pm. Contact Ann Webster for details. |
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Help Pick the 7 Endangered Wonders of the World!
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The Alliance for Zero Extinction's new 7 Wonders campaign asks conservationists to help select seven sites from around the globe to highlight the plight of species on the brink. The winning sites will be featured in a campaign to help save endangered species. You can vote for your top sites from a list of 20. Each one is the last refuge on Earth for one or more endangered species. If any of these sites is lost to development, logging, agriculture, or any other threat, the endangered species it harbors will go extinct. Voting will be open through November, and can be carried out at the campaign website. The campaign is sponsored by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
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Get Outdoors with the Sierra Club
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Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) is a special activities group of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. It organizes hikes and events year-round for the general public on behalf of the Sierra Club's Washington, DC Chapter and the Maryland and Virginia Chapters' Washington-suburb groups. Volunteer leaders conduct the events, many of which include conservation, educational, or historical elements. For information about SCPRO and its upcoming events, visit the SCPRO Events website. To obtain a free calendar subscription, inquire about becoming a SCPRO outings leader, or get answers to other questions, write to info@sierrapotomac.org.
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Fairfax Tree Stewards Training Class
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The Fairfax County Tree Stewards are dedicated to caring for the trees of Fairfax County, educating the public about the value of trees and good tree care, and working with public and private agencies to further these goals. Formed in February 2011, the 20 current tree stewards have performed over 500 hours of service to Fairfax County trees. They are looking to expand the organization and are seeking applicants to the 2012 training class, the first step in the process of becoming a tree steward. For more information, visit the Fairfax County Tree Stewards Facebook page or contact Jim McGlone 703-324-1489; email jim.mcglone@dof.virginia.gov.
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Great Falls Group Executive Committee
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The monthly meeting of The Great Falls Group's (GFG) Executive Committee is usually held on the second Monday of the month, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and is open to all Sierra Club members. Contact Linda Burchfiel for meeting times and location.
Officers:
Chair Linda Burchfiel 703-506-4310 linda@lburchfiel.com
Vice Chair Chris Koerner 703-715-2204 cekoerner@verizon.net
Treasurer Joe Apple 703-860-1254 Joe.Apple@comcast.net
Secretary volunteer wanted
Committee Chairs:
Chapter Delegate Joe Apple 703-860-1254 Joe.Apple@comcast.net
Conservation Steve Bruckner 703-883-3622 sbruckner@cox.net
Membership Norbert Pink 703-264-7445 norbertsierra@aol.com
Education volunteer wanted
Political Bob Pearson 703 690-3071 Bob_pearson@cox.net
Programs volunteer wanted
Social Susan Bonney 703-821-5587 sbonney001@aol.com
Committee Support:
E-newsletter Linda Brown sc.greatfallsgroup@gmail.com
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Calendar
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Thursday, September 27, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., Activist Night, Falls Church, VA. Organizing for America Field Office, 7285 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church (right rear corner of Loehmann's Plaza, by the theater).
What the election means for the environment. Please bring your cell phone and charger, if convenient, to call persuadable voters and make a difference. Come for all or part of the program. Refreshments provided.
Contact: Bob Pearson, 703-402-3498.
September 1 through October 31. Virginia Waterways Cleanup Event. More than 180 cleanup events are scheduled. To find a site, see www.CleanupVirginia.org.
Last year, volunteers reportedly kept 295,256 pounds of plastic and trash out of Virginia's rivers, bays, and our world's ocean. TOP TEN LIST from 2011 efforts: (1) Food Wrappers/Containers; (2) Beverage Bottles (plastic) two liters or less; (3) Bags (plastic); (4) Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters; (5) Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, Spoons; (6) Tires; (7) Glass Beverage Bottles; (8) Beverage Cans; (9) Caps, Lids; and (10) Straws, Stirrers. These ten items accounted for 84.45% of all litter and trash picked up by volunteers in Virginia during the 2011 event. During the last 17 years, volunteers have removed more than 2.5 million pounds of litter and trash from Virginia's waterways through this project.
Sponsor: Clean Virginia Waterways
Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Activist Night, Oakton, VA. Save the date. Get updates on our website, in our listserv, or on our Facebook page.
Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place, VA 22124-1785 (Phone 703-242-4020)
Contact: Linda Burchfiel, linda@lburchfiel.com
Check our website for meeting updates or changes: http://virginia.sierraclub.org/greatfalls/
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The Cascade is published by the Great Falls Group of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Beginning 2012, it is being published electronically. We reserve the right to edit all submissions, both editorial and advertisements. The views expressed are those of the authors and may not be those of the Sierra Club. Email articles, photos, questions, or comments to sc.greatfallsgroup@gmail.com.
Visit the Great Falls Group website.
Subscribe to our listserve at http://virginia.sierraclub.org/greatfalls/greatfallsnews.html
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Linda Brown, Editor
Sierra Club Great Falls Group, Virginia
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